2018 Best Of Colorado Springs V.II: Welcome and Winners Index

Indy Best Of

Welcome back to the Independent's 25th annual Best Of, a two-week celebration of Colorado Springs' finest retailers, standout citizens and more.

We hope you've had time to digest last week's Food & Drink and Nightlife categories; this week we're spotlighting Community and Shopping & Services.

As we wrote last week, having now turned a quarter-century old, we decided to get rowdy this year and mix things up, hence our first ever two-round ballot process. By all measures (i.e., the most votes we've ever received, by a tremendous margin) this method was hugely popular with Indy readers. It meant more competition through a finalist round, and our editorial committee curated some additional picks to ensure we really shook the trees this year to find the best of the best.

When you consider how many local businesses exist in each Best Of category, and realize we're only honoring the top three, it's quite an accomplishment for anyone to land on our awards list in first, second or third place. It's no small feat to capture our community's vote — twice.

As with last week's issue, we've included an index of Gold, Silver and Bronze winners that spans the awards section of write-ups on this year's first-place finishers. Hang on to these issues, because together they make a great visitor's guide to our city for newbies and tourists, but also for locals seeking fresh adventures and shopping experiences.

Our congrats once again to each person or business that has what it takes to be voted the Best Of the best in Colorado Springs!